Snapchat Users in Pakistan Furious as App Starts Charging for Memories Storage

Snapchat, a platform that has captivated users worldwide for more than a decade and gained immense traction in Pakistan around 2014, has sparked outrage among its Pakistani audience after enforcing a new paid storage policy.

Numerous users in Pakistan have recently encountered a notification on the app urging them to purchase a storage plan to retain their photos and videos in “Memories” or have them backed up. The prompt, which appears upon opening the app, cautions that their media may be deleted unless they subscribe to the Snapchat+ plan costing Rs300 per month.

The abrupt shift has frustrated long-term users who have relied on the app as more than a social platform — treating it as a personal chronicle of their lives.

“I have over 30,000 photos and videos from my eight years on Snapchat. This was the feature I loved the most and what made Snapchat special for me and my friends,” shared Waqas Khan, a long-time user. “Now I have to go through the hassle of backing up everything manually, which will take a lot of time and effort.”

Another user, Atif Javed, who joined Snapchat during his college years, echoed the sentiment. “Since last night, I’ve been seeing a pop-up asking me to pay Rs300 or lose my data. My Memories are around 83GB, but I’m not paying a single paisa. I’d rather buy an external SSD or hard drive,” he said. “Snapchat doesn’t even back up photos in their original quality; they’re compressed and pixelated.”

Here’s what the newly introduced pop-up looks like when users are prompted to pay Rs300 after accessing Memories:

Free Memories Storage on Snapchat Capped at 5GB

Roughly two weeks ago, Snapchat announced its decision to introduce paid storage for users’ photos and videos, drawing backlash globally. However, it was unclear when the policy would extend to Pakistani users — until now.

After nearly ten years of functioning as a digital time capsule for millions, Snapchat has officially placed a price tag on its Memories feature. The app now limits free Memories storage to 5GB. Users who exceed this threshold must either export their Memories or opt for one of Snapchat’s new paid storage tiers to retain them.

If users choose not to pay, the app will automatically delete the most recent Snaps while retaining the oldest ones to stay within the 5GB limit. Snapchat has also offered a 12-month temporary storage period for excess Memories, giving users time to manage or export their data.

In Pakistan, the platform provides 1TB of Memories storage for Rs300 per month. While some may consider the price reasonable, long-standing Snapchat users have voiced discontent, deeming the change unfair and disappointing after years of unrestricted access.

Read More: Snapchat Limits Free Memories Storage – New Paid Storage Plans Introduced